Bankruptcy Lawyer in Harrisburg, PA

Sean P. Quinlan is a Harrisburg-based bankruptcy lawyer representing individuals, couples, and small business owners across Dauphin, Cumberland, and Perry counties. Harrisburg is the seat of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania — every consumer Chapter 7 and Chapter 13 filed by a Harrisburg-area resident is filed at the Sylvia H. Rambo U.S. Courthouse on North 6th Street. Our office is minutes across the river in Camp Hill, and consultations are free and confidential. Most Harrisburg clients come to us because of credit-card debt, medical debt, PA state tax debt, wage garnishment for unpaid taxes or support, a foreclosure on a Dauphin or Cumberland County home, or the fallout from a job change or divorce. Chapter 7 typically wipes out qualifying unsecured debt in about 4–6 months. Chapter 13 is a 3-to-5 year plan that stops a foreclosure or vehicle repossession and lets you catch up on what you're behind.

Local experience in Harrisburg

We serve every Harrisburg neighborhood and suburb: Midtown, Uptown, Allison Hill, Shipoke, Bellevue Park, Susquehanna Township, Paxtang, Penbrook, Steelton, Hummelstown, Middletown, Hershey, Colonial Park, and Linglestown. Across the river we regularly represent clients in Camp Hill, Lemoyne, Wormleysburg, New Cumberland, Mechanicsburg, Enola, and Carlisle. Many of our Harrisburg clients are Commonwealth employees, PennDOT, PSP, UPMC, Penn State Health, and Hershey Medical Center workers whose steady paychecks make Chapter 13 straightforward once the numbers are in place. Because the Middle District courthouse is here in Harrisburg, we know the local Chapter 7 trustees, the standing Chapter 13 trustee's office, and how Dauphin County Court of Common Pleas judgment creditors respond to the automatic stay. That local familiarity keeps cases moving and keeps surprises out of the 341 meeting.

How we file your case

Every case starts with a free 30-minute consultation by phone, video, or in person at our Camp Hill office. We review your last six months of pay, recent tax returns, a list of debts, and any pending lawsuits, garnishments, or sheriff sales. We then run the Pennsylvania means test against the current state median, recommend Chapter 7 or Chapter 13, and quote a flat attorney fee in writing — no hourly billing and no surprise invoices. Once you engage the firm you complete a one-hour online credit-counseling course, we prepare your petition and schedules, and we file electronically with the Middle District clerk in Harrisburg. The automatic stay under 11 U.S.C. § 362 takes effect the moment we hit submit — creditor calls stop, wage garnishments stop, and any scheduled Dauphin or Cumberland County sheriff sale is stayed. About 30–45 days later you attend a virtual 341 meeting of creditors with the trustee. A typical Chapter 7 discharges roughly 60 days after that.

Where to file: Harrisburg bankruptcy court

Harrisburg-area bankruptcy cases are filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania — Harrisburg Division at the Sylvia H. Rambo U.S. Courthouse, 1501 N. 6th Street, Harrisburg, PA 17102. Filings are electronic; 341 meetings of creditors are held virtually by the Chapter 7 or Chapter 13 trustee assigned to your case. We handle every step from our Camp Hill office — you almost never need to appear at the courthouse in person.